Good morning. Hope you are all doing well.

Hubby is back to work today, after having the whole month off. It is NICE to just relax a bit today - not having to GO anywhere. Men just don't seem to be able to sit still - at least not mine. I don't know what will happen when it is time for him to retire We had a really busy month, being up in the city helping my son, sod his place, and my aunt and uncle move into a condo, after living in their home for 40 yrs. That was a REAL challenge. Between being away from home, and then the darn fatigue that comes, after a few days of activity, it is nice to do NOTHING.

Angel - sounds like you had a wonderful holiday. Hope you are feeling good.

Laura - things will work out as they will. There is NOT much you can do about it. It is sad, when people throw their lives away, but that is what drugs do. I guess you can't force somebody to get help. Just come here and vent.

Chris - I know how busy you are, chasing after little ones. Did you ask the Dr. about your feet? I must do that. My heel on my right foot is very painful. It is probably Achilles Tendon, but I am not sure about that.

It has been cold and rainy for this whole month. I don't remember when I have had soooooo much pain - everywhere. I am stiff and sore. Joints and muscles are hurting. Now I should be finished whining We have had floods through the whole of Alberta and my Ravine behind my house, is full of water, due to the creek flooding. I WANT SUMMER!!!! Can't even go sit outside, because the darn wind is cold. I hope JULY will be a whole different month. I WANT to complain about too much heat!!!

Anne,
MY next appt with my doctor isn't until August. I'm getting my new running shoes tomorrow so hopefully that will help out some. I just got done mowing the lawn. It looked like an overgrown jungle in the backyard. i wanted to get it done before the rain hit again. We've gotten alot of rain this year so far. IT's nice. We've had a drought for several years now and we sure need the moisture. But I would like some sunny warm days too.

~chris

Chrily- I buy running shoes too although I don't run. I just think they have more support than walking shoes. I walk.. That has been on the T/M since it has got so hot..
I got up late today so this is going to be short and sweet.. I never seem to get everything done that I want to.Happy wants summer. I want fall about this time of year..
My back yard looks like a jungle too. I keep telling hubby to get someone to clean it. That does no good. He just won't admit it is too much for him..I can't go out and hire someone ,he won't let them come on the yard.
Enough of my whinning. Bye...Joanne

HEY Shaye, Welcome. This is a great group of gals. I think I'm the baby of the group. I'm a stay at home mom of 3 girls. I'm 34 yrs old...and have been diagnosed with RA for the last 3 yrs. They labeled it as palendromic rheumatism before that. I think they did that because the the RA test always came back sero-negative. I've been hurting for the last 6 yrs.My mom was recently diagnosed with RA too. She's been hurting off and on for the last 20 yrs. She just never got it checked out. I finally got her to agree about a month ago. She was having a hard hard time and I think she finally figured out it wasn't going to go away.

I too have a hard time with joints being sore after I exercise...but believe it or not, the more routine I am with exercising, the less it hurts. So what in the world is Power 90? I've never heard of that. I do the Leslie Sansone Walk away the Pounds tapes. I really enjoy though. I get a good workout without all the aches afterwards.

What meds are you on? I'm just taking methotrexate now. I was on Prednisone and Bextra for the longest time. I really ballooned up on the prednisone. YIKES! I packed on over 30 lbs. I'm slowly working my way back down. I hope to get aroun 150 lbs. someday.

Anyhow, I got a 6 yr old waiting to get her hair cut today so I have to go. I'll be looking forward to more posts from you. Have a great day!

~chris

Welcome Shaye- Water exercise is great for ra or oa.. Easy on the joints. Walking is good too. I walk.. I tried the water but the pool I went to was too cold and I couldn't take the cold water.Get yourself on a good eating plan. WW or South beach .I combine and use both. To date I have lost 74 lbs and am at goal. I have been trying to lose another 5 lbs. Just because I want to.I just read that omega3 was good for arthritis.I have taken it for several years. Also good to get colesterol and trig. down. It also said that women should take flax seed oil. I think it is the same as the omega3 though. I am the mother/g/mother of this group. I am 72 years young.I have severe oa. You can do it..You have a new job.GREAT!. Now lets get a new you..You will have less pain with less weight.
Happy- It rained here some today. It never rains for any length of time..We will take what we can get..
Ok guys..Got to close this thing and go here the Bush talk.. I hope he can bring our boys home soon. My G/son is out of the navy now. He was over near Irag 2 times. He is safe now..Now he needs to go to school and get on with his life.
Bye..Joanne

Joanne, I was reading up on Omega 3 too. It is supposed to be good for arthritis. I was reading that in the book Arthritis for Dummies. I got it for my mom but was thumbing through it the other day. That book is loaded with tons of information. I may pick up a copy of it for myself.

BTW, how long did it take you to get to your goal weight? I have never heard.

Okay Charlotte! Where are you hiding? I'm sure you are busy busy busy with your business, the station, and home. Waiting to hear from you.

Well sorry so short and not personal with everyone but I'm going to sneak into the bathtub and soak for a bit. My feet are crying out for some relief. I got my new running shoes tonight and a pair of Teva thongs. My sister works at Dillards so I had to give her the commission.... The Teva thongs are so comfortable and they actually have an arch so my feet won't be hurting.

~Night ladies
chris

Shaye, You took away my baby status... Now I'm not the youngest anymore. I actually had a guy call me a grandma yesterday when I said arthritis. Can you believe that? I don't think very many people know what RA is like. How high is your methotrexate dose? I'm maxed on it but I've noticed some aches and pains creeping back in. I go to my doctor in August again so we'll see what he says. I know he said the next step would be Remicade too. Who would have thought that RA could be such an expensive disease.

I got tested for lupus right away because my Grandma died from lupus. I also had to go through the whole chest xrays and some extra blood work since my mom and brother both have sarcoidosis. Nothing like a family full of auto-immune disorders. I guess the odds were stacked against me on that one. I can even remember the first pains I had. It was on Dec. 31, 1999. My wrist started aching really bad and I hadn't done anything. By the next morning my shoulder hurt so bad, I couldn't lift it away from my body and when I tried to get it over my head, it would snap back just like a rubber band. Then it went away and over to my other shoulder. They though I had a rotator cuff injury. I knew I didn't. I went like that for a little over three years. Then I got pregnant with my last little girl and while I was PG, I didn't have a single flare up. BUt afterwards...OH MY GOSH! It came back with a vengeance so I went back to the rheumatologist and they did the full workup...thus the diagnosis of RA! It sure makes you appreciate the good days more.

OKay...I've stalled enough. Time to get the laundry folded. YUCK! I can't stand laundry. I have a room full of little girls that I might be able to "persuade" to help me. TTFN.

~chris

Good afternoon, and I want to say welcome to Shaye. Well, Chris you can't be the "baby" all the time Shaye, you are young to be stricken with RA. Not a fun time. I had serious back problems when I was 29, and working and raising 2 kids and a hubby Finally, when I was 36, they did surgery. Now, I have OA in my lower back and hip, and perhaps a few other places, like my foot! Throw in a little FM to that mix, and you have a reak cocktail! I can usually deal with the pain, but the fatigue is something else.

Chris - I hope you got your girls helping fold the laundry. I was always lucky, as we built our own house, and I had main floor laundry. Never minded doing it. It was the darn bending to get the clothes out of the dryer that was the killer. I have now gone to stacking washer and dryer and that is so much easier.

Yes, Omega 3 does help with arthritis and heart (except for people who have pacemakers. Apparentley, they should NOT take it. Another good thing for pain is Bromelain (extract from the Pineapple). It works well.

Joanne - We have sunshine today!! I am happy and the pain is almost gone - just like that. Unfortunatley, it will be back by Friday, as another wet weekend is coming up. It is going to interfer with Canada Day long weekend on July 1st. I did water areobics for years, but had to quit when my back was so bad. Tried it again and ended up hurting myself. The arthritis is in the Facet Joints (the ones that give you motion) so that may be why. Even tried Deep Water Areobics and that was even worse. They make you wear one of those darn lifevests and I spend all my time wrestling with it to stay upright. I would do much better without one. I am sure not afraid of the water and can swim to save myself - hopefully.

Charlotte - hope all is well with you.

Hi Laura and Barb. Stop in when you can.

Hope you all have a nice day.

Charlotte, good to see a post from you. I was wondering where you went.

Just a quick check in from me. I am getting ready to cause myself some public humiliation by stepping into a swimsuit to take the kids to the pool with my sister. Wish me luck!!!!

~chris

I'm new into this thread and glad I found it. I'm 55 and have had psoriatic arthritis since my mid-20s. It primarily affects my hands and feet, but the older I get the more I feel in my hips and shoulders as well. I've been on methotrexate for years, and am now on Remicade (?), since they took my beloved Bextra off the market. I think over the years I've been on every medication there is.

I quit smoking back in December and started walking...that seems to have helped some. I also am struggling with hbp and high cholesterol. Can I just have a week or two when I can't stop thinking about my health!? I added about 12 pounds from quitting smoking, too.

Anyway, hope you all have a great day today. It's pouring rain here in north Florida.

Dinah

Welcome Dinah- North Florida..I live in West Central Florida.. My daughter lives in N/F.. I have OA and have had it for many years.. I don't take any meds for it except for pain most days.. I have taken just about all of them and my stomach will not tolerate them anymore.. Losing weight is the best thing and exercise is next.. I have lost over 70 lbs and feel much better for it..
I am spending part of the 4th cleaning house! No plans to do much but put a steak in the broiler tonight. We might go see some of the fireworks.
Everybody have a GREAT DAY...Joanne